Welfare Reform and Lone Parents in the UK

The last thirty years saw dramatic increases in the proportion of children living in lone parent households. In 1997 the incoming Labour government initiated a series of policy reforms aimed at reducing this high level of child poverty. A key element of their strategy was a move towards increasing employment rates among families with children by a combination of increased in-work support through the Working Families Tax Credit and active case management of the population on welfare through the New Deal for Lone Parents. The assessment of this policy reform agenda has focused to date mainly on lone mothers’ employment and poverty. In this paper we extend this to include at the impact on the numbers of lone parent families and a range of outcomes for mothers and children. We cover mothers’ mental well-being and health, child outcomes and relationship patterns. As well as representing the basic facts about employment incomes and hours of work. Our results show there was no significant impact of these policy reforms on family structure. Mothers malaise scores are, unsurprisingly, very high on family break up but they tend to recover after around 2 years. WFTC is found to reduce the spike of high malaise co-incident with the transition into lone parenthood but to have no longer term effects. This decline in malaise is strongly associated with improved financial indicators. Adolescent children in lone parents families report lower self-esteem, more unhappiness, lower quality relationships with the mother and a number of worse or risky behaviours. Difference-in-difference techniques suggest a marked narrowing if these gaps since WFTC. The magnitude of these changes are quite large, half of the gap in self-esteem and unhappiness scores and in truanting, smoking and planning to leave school at age 16 are eliminated after the policy reforms. This strongly suggests that the increases in incomes and employment associated with the reforms have profoundly changed the quality of life children in lone parent families.Welfare reform, lone parents, tax Credits

A qualitative assessment of women’s sourcing and appraisal of maternal nutritional information: a pilot study

A qualitative assessment of women’s sourcing and appraisal of maternal nutritional information: a pilot study. By M. Hanson, D. Smith and R. Gregg, Department of Health Professionals, Manchester Metropolitan University, 53 Bonsall Street, Manchester, M15 6GX Susceptibility to obesity and certain non-communicable diseases (NCDs) stem from pre-conception and foetal development in-utero(1). There is also a growing body of evidence to suggest that diet quality (DQ) is significantly important throughout pregnancy, irrespective of maternal BMI(2). However, healthcare professionals (HCPs) and guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) maintain focus on sustaining a normal BMI(3). This study aimed to assess where and how women source and appraise nutritional information during pregnancy, to understand further the nutritional needs of the mother, and the role of HCPs in providing nutritional support. Women were recruited via social media and from community maternity services. Four focus groups were carried out, and halted due to data saturation. In total, 13 participants were included (pregnant n=3, up to 12-months post-partum n=10). Focus groups were transcribed, subjected to thematic analysis and categorised into four central themes (Attitudes, Acquisition, Barriers and Knowledge) grounded in the theory, which were presented in a thematic map. Firstly, regarding the Attitudes reported by women, there was an awareness of supplementation requirements and “unsafe” foods to avoid during pregnancy, yet this was usually inaccurate. Beyond foods to avoid women reported higher intakes of “chocolate”, “cake” and “stodge”, as shown in figure 1. They saw this as compensation for having to avoid the “unsafe” foods as they felt there were few consequences beyond displeasing aesthetics. Secondly, Acquisition of nutrition information was both active (mainly internet) and passive (mainly HCPs, friends and family). Participants displayed self-confidence and an ‘expert opinion’ due to the accessibility of information on the internet. Women sought this information due to uncertainties and a feeling of unmet nutritional needs: one woman found that both her midwife and doctor could not advise on non-dairy sources of calcium, as shown in figure 2. Thirdly, Barriers included the trustworthiness of differing sources: most women reported difficulties in appraising the available information, as shown in figure 3. Moreover, women reported HCPs made the assumption that women were already knowledgeable about the constituents of a “healthy diet” and therefore did not explain further, resulting in confusion and a lack of knowledge among the participants. Finally, Knowledge surrounding guidelines and the importance of DQ in this group was found to be poor, as shown in figure 4 and participants reported that HCPs did not follow-up the initial weigh-in with any further weigh-ins, nutritional support or guidance, irrespective of their BMI, despite NICE stipulating all three for overweight/obese expectant mothers. In conclusion, the themes presented are in support of wider research demonstrating both the need and difficulty in providing detailed, individualised nutritional support for expectant mothers. Moreover, a revision of NICE guidelines may be required to recognise not only maternal BMI but the importance of DQ and methods for safe weight loss throughout pregnancy as well, to mirror the current literature(2) (3). With the hope to reduce NCD prevalence in the future; in line with the World Health Organsiation Agenda for Sustainable Development. 1. Baird J, Jacob C et al. Healthcare. 2017;5(1):14. 2. Shapiro A, Kaar J et al. IJO. 2016;40(7):1056-1062. 3. Brown A, Avery A. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2012;25(4):378-387

Visualization of oxygen distribution patterns caused by coral and algae.

Planar optodes were used to visualize oxygen distribution patterns associated with a coral reef associated green algae (Chaetomorpha sp.) and a hermatypic coral (Favia sp.) separately, as standalone organisms, and placed in close proximity mimicking coral-algal interactions. Oxygen patterns were assessed in light and dark conditions and under varying flow regimes. The images show discrete high oxygen concentration regions above the organisms during lighted periods and low oxygen in the dark. Size and orientation of these areas were dependent on flow regime. For corals and algae in close proximity the 2D optodes show areas of extremely low oxygen concentration at the interaction interfaces under both dark (18.4 ± 7.7 µmol O2 L(- 1)) and daylight (97.9 ± 27.5 µmol O2 L(- 1)) conditions. These images present the first two-dimensional visualization of oxygen gradients generated by benthic reef algae and corals under varying flow conditions and provide a 2D depiction of previously observed hypoxic zones at coral algae interfaces. This approach allows for visualization of locally confined, distinctive alterations of oxygen concentrations facilitated by benthic organisms and provides compelling evidence for hypoxic conditions at coral-algae interaction zones

Observation of Interaction of Spin and Intrinsic Orbital Angular Momentum of Light

Interaction of spin and intrinsic orbital angular momentum of light is observed, as evidenced by length-dependent rotations of both spatial patterns and optical polarization in a cylindrically-symmetric isotropic optical fiber. Such rotations occur in straight few-mode fiber when superpositions of two modes with parallel and anti-parallel orientation of spin and intrinsic orbital angular momentum (IOAM=$2\hslash$) are excited, resulting from a degeneracy splitting of the propagation constants of the modes.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, and a detailed supplement. Version 3 corrects a typo and adds the journal referenc

Evolution of volcanism and faulting in a segment of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 25°N

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 6 (2005): Q09008, doi:10.1029/2005GC000954.We reconstruct the volcanic and tectonic evolution over the last 250,000 years of the median valley floor in the spreading segment of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge centered at 25°N. In the center of the segment, multibeam bathymetry and deep-towed side-scan images show a large area of smooth-textured lava flows more like those of the East Pacific Rise than those of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Hummocky flows more typical of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are found toward the southern end of the segment. The presence of the abundant smooth-textured flows allows us to interpret the volcanic and tectonic relationships in the segment. We construct a geological map using (1) multibeam bathymetry to identify the key volcanic structures and fault scarps and (2) high-resolution TOBI side-scan sonar images to interpret age relationships between features on the basis of overall sediment cover as shown by backscatter brightness. Bottom photographs across key features on the median valley floor yield detailed information on stratigraphic relationships between volcanic features and faults and allow us to calibrate backscatter brightness in terms of sediment cover and hence of age. In this way we derive a history of volcanic activity and deformation in a detailed survey area at the segment center, with the most recent flows erupted about 5000 years ago, and the youngest smooth flows about 10,000 years ago, separated by an episode of faulting. Using bathymetry and side-scan surveys, we extrapolate this to the whole of the median valley floor. The volcanic activity giving rise to the smooth flows has been continuous for about a quarter of a million years at the segment center. Over the same period, hummocky flows have been continuously erupted at the southern end of the segment. Electron probe analyses of dredged basalt glasses show that there is a systematic variation in composition with position in the segment. Basalts from the segment center are all more evolved than those at the southern end of the segment. There is, however, no relation of chemistry with lava type. The basalts from the segment center have very nearly the same composition whether they come from hummocky flows or smooth flows. The boundary between the smooth flows and hummocky flows has fluctuated with time and migrated rapidly northward over the last few thousand years, so that shortly the eruption of smooth flows will probably have ceased. The survey shows that flows that are smooth on side-scan images are not necessarily sheet flows. In this study they uniformly show pillow morphology. We conclude that smooth flows were probably erupted at faster eruption rates than hummocky flows.This project was funded by an NERC grant that enabled Charles Darwin cruise 65 and by NSF grant OCE-9811575

Found: High Surface Brightness Compact Galaxies

We are using the 2dF spectrograph to make a survey of all objects (`stars' and `galaxies') in a 12 sq.deg region towards the Fornax cluster. We have discovered a population of compact emission-line galaxies unresolved on photographic sky survey plates and therefore missing in most galaxy surveys based on such material. These galaxies are as luminous as normal field galaxies. Using H-alpha to estimate star formation they contribute at least an additional 5 per cent to the local star formation rate.Comment: To appear in "The Low Surface Brightness Universe", IAU Coll 171, eds. J.I. Davies et al., A.S.P. Conference Series. 3 pages, LaTex, 1 encapsulated ps-figure, requires paspconf.st

Cultivating a Community of STEM Polymaths at UNG

The University of North Georgia (UNG), Dahlonega, suffers from high attrition of STEM majors and low STEM graduation rates. In response to this challenge, a transdisciplinary (TD) team of UNG STEM faculty – from biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics - has designed and developed hands-on laboratory experiments that employ empirical, interpretive, critical, and transdisciplinary research methodologies. The TD laboratory curriculum exposes undergraduate STEM students to cutting-edge techniques and new scientific frontiers, which will foster creativity and passion about scientific research, help undergraduates develop skills in analytical thinking and experimental design, and improve their technological fluency. In turn, this will improve persistence by stimulating student interest and participation in STEM. We will present examples of the transdisciplinary experiments that our students are engaging in and provide interactive activities to expose an interdisciplinary audience to the substantive scientific questions and real-world observations of the TD lab at UNG